COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — More than seven years after it was destroyed by the Waldo Canyon Fire, ground was broken this weekend to rebuild the Flying W Ranch near Colorado Springs.
Flying W Ranch celebrated the groundbreaking of its new chuckwagon building with a special event Saturday.
The open field was filled with barrels of hay and a stage set for Flying W Wranglers ready to step back into their old spots.
The celebration came with old traditions like a brisket and bean meal, and a traditional Native American dance. Through the wind and rain, visitors old and new enjoyed getting to watch a show again.
The general manager, Aaron Winter, said the wet weather was fitting.
"The rain washes away the old and brings in the new," he explained to our news partner KRDO.
PHOTOS: It's been 10 years since the Waldo Canyon Fire
The Waldo Canyon Fire started on June 23, 2012, about three miles west of Colorado Springs. Over the next two weeks, it scorched 18,247 acres, killed two people and destroyed 346 homes. William Everett, 74, and his wife Barbara, 73, were discovered dead. They died as they tried to evacuate their house.
Winter said he remembers the fire well, even after all this time.
"I remember driving down Centennial Boulevard and seeing the hillside on fire and knowing the ranch was gone," he told KRDO.
He said thousands of volunteers over the past seven years have donated their time and resources to bring back the ranch and mitigate the land.
Russ Wolfe, the original owner, died earlier this year, and it was his family's mission to bring the ranch back to the community. His daughters made that come true on Saturday.
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